Help!!

Foreign trained (20 years since LLB) here with several LLM acceptances. Top 3 are:

GW $10K
NW 12.5K
Emory 25K

Chicago was my first choice but alas, did not get in. I have a lot of post LLB experience, mostly economic law and international finance. Intend to use the LLM to sit NYC or DC Bar. I am not interested in BigLaw but rather would like to work with one of the development agencies like the World Bank, IMF, OAS etc. and also pursue a doctoral degree and teach law. For this I think GW would be better but I am also thinking NW because of its rank and reputation and Emory which has a good reputation and is giving a hefty scholarship.

Does anyone have any insight into whether rank and reputation of LLM program would be a significant factor in employment prospects for the type of employment that I'm considering? My instinct is telling me to choose Emory for the savings...but would Emory help me get in the door? Would any of the schools offer an advantage for that matter?

Thanks!

Emory is a prestigious school and gave you a very generous scholarship. I would definitely take it. I think GW (George Washington) is a good university but way too expensive. Then again the same with NW, too expensive and little money. Emory also has an SJD program and it seems to be very much research focus. I would take the money and go to Emory and take advantage of living in a nicer climate and save all the money.

Since you are not interested in big law, what matters is going to a university with a good reputation and that will give you the basis for your future career. That is Emory.

Both GW and NW are good options, and I perceive GW to be slightly superior for your purposes.

Going to Emory is not recommended at least for an LLM - the alumni network is weak and the prestige non-existent. Saving just $15K for this kind of pay-off is not worth it in my opinion.

If you later apply for SJD to Chicago or some other law school I have no doubt the name of GW / NW will count for more.

Thank you both Wheretogo and imnc. You both have valid points. I think I'm more inclined to agree with Wheretogo about Emory's reputation. Everything I have heard about Emory's program has been positive especially vis-a-vis GW...but obviously not versus NW. It does not rank as high as NW and employment wise seems to certainly be more Atlanta-centric. Given that my career has been Latin America focused and that I hope to get a job at one of the development agencies with an emphasis on economic development in this region, my prospects of doing this from Atlanta seem limited. I could be wrong.
GW affords the proximity to the WB, IMF, OAS etc...but NW has more cache than both of them internationally. And imnc, you are right, especially when it come to transitioning into teaching.
Its a tough decision...

For your intended purposes, neither Emory nor NW will suit you. If you look at the international law rankings, GW is consistently at the top. Moreover, law is about networking, and GW is in the same city as those agencies you mentioned wanting to work for. As a result, there are a lot of GW alumni working in and around DC and all its agencies/firms/consultancies/etc. Based on what you said, GW is a no brainer.

VOR, thank you for your post. I completely agree that GW would provide more access to those agencies. The only consideration for me is the cost, more specifically the cost of living in DC vis-a-vis Atlanta.
Your thoughts?

Hi

I vote for GW absolutely. You are a lawyer with more than 20 years experience, you use the LLM to get into the market instead of getting a good ranking law school for your resume. Anyway, these three law schools are all Top 25, all great law schools.

If you are in your 20s, I certainly suggest you NW, because it has the highest ranking, and Chicago is a great city with great legal market. But you are not a fresh graduate, you do not need that.

Think about who will value your 20 years experience most? Government agencies!

For the expense, believe me, you already got so much, far beyond the average level from these three law schools. And you can get back the pay very fast.

Thank you MattQin! That certainly seems to be the consensus amongst everyone that I have questioned. Makes sense to me!